Postharvest preservation technologies for Canadian-grown horticulture as a strategy to reduce food waste

采后的水果和蔬菜垃圾占可预防的食物损失的很大比例，这些食物被转移到世界各地的垃圾填埋场。这些粮食损失对粮食安全和环境可持续性产生了广泛的负面影响。到目前为止，缺乏可行的技术来保存易腐烂的园艺，包括来自加拿大生产者的作物。改进做法和技术以更好地保存园艺产品可以减少食物浪费，从而延长食物保存时间。人们普遍认为，采摘后保存完好的水果和蔬菜与抗氧化剂(如维生素C)的组成保持一致。目前，关于一些最易腐烂的作物，包括绿叶蔬菜、蘑菇和浆果的最佳做法和/或采后技术的信息很少。此外，这些产品中的天然防腐剂在采后如何变化尚不清楚。我们的研究计划专注于开发最佳的采后贮藏实践或新鲜度配方应用，以保护加拿大的园艺。我们将从蘑菇废料中回收独特的抗氧化剂，然后测试它们对高度易腐烂的园艺产品(如浆果和绿叶蔬菜)采后品质的影响，从而开发出一种新鲜度配方。第二个目标是使用价值链分析来揭示水果和蔬菜生产行业采用新鲜度配方实践的驱动因素和瓶颈，包括以抗氧化剂为基础的产品。拟议的研究将为多学科研究领域的2名博士提供独特的培训机会，包括食品保鲜与经典生物化学、分析化学和价值链技术技能的结合，这些技能在科学和经济行业中需求很高。这项研究还将提供基础信息，为园艺生产者提供更好的决策信息，并将制定广泛影响园艺部门的保护做法。

Postharvest fruit and vegetable waste accounts for a large proportion of preventable food loss that is diverted to landfills around the world. These food losses have widespread negative ramifications on food security and environmental sustainability. To date, there is a lack of feasible technology for the postharvest preservation of perishable horticulture, including crops derived from Canadian producers. Improved practices and technologies for better preservation of horticultural produce can lessen food waste, and hence prolong food preservation. There is widespread knowledge that fruit and vegetables that are well preserved after harvest coincide with the maintenance of antioxidant (e.g., vitamin C) composition. Currently, there is little information on the optimal practices and/or postharvest technologies for some of the most highly perishable crops, including leafy green vegetables, mushrooms and berries. In addition, it is not known how natural preservatives within these products are altered postharvest. Our research program is focused on developing optimal postharvest storage practices or freshness formulation applications for the preservation of Canadian horticulture. We will develop a freshness formulation by recovering unique antioxidants from mushroom waste and then testing their impact on the postharvest quality of highly perishable horticultural products, such as berries and leafy green vegetables.A second aim is to use a value-chain analysis to uncover the drivers and bottlenecks in the fruit and vegetable production industry for adoption of novel freshness formulation practices, including those that are antioxidant-based. The proposed research will provide unique training opportunities for 2 PhD in multidisciplinary research, including food preservation coupled with classical biochemistry, analytical chemistry, and value chain technology skills that are in high demand within the scientific and economic industry sectors. The research will also provide foundation information to inform better decision-making for horticultural producers, and will develop preservation practices that widely impact the horticultural sector.